Gateway
by FrostedGlassShardofHeart
Summary: The warriors did not know that they had made something while they had traversed the malleable voids. They had forged a part of themselves into the very fabric of the Rift. They created something that could finally give me the key to unlocking the mysteries of this place. They had made memories. Rating may change later.
1. Prelude: Memories

Prelude: Memories

**(I don't own Dissida Final Fantasy or Square Enix)**

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The gateways were a... mysterious occurrence, to say the least. A bend in space: a portal to the rift. Caves, forest, and even towering castles with dozens of floors were compressed into paper-thin slices of light that stood silently beneath towering stone arches. Supposedly, they react to the memories of those who have entered. Entire worlds can be found in those spaces; surely someone has thought to wonder? About possibilities, or about the connection that all these worlds just might share?

There wasn't much time too. Not with the endless war, and all. But that didn't stop a brave few from daydreaming: A pause in the fighting, or while keeping watch at night. The professor probably made the most progress in analyzing the anomalies, but she up and disappeared one day halfway through the cycles. Who knows what more she had discovered after her departure; for she had indeed escaped to the rift. The only ones who could have possibly known anything about her research lost their memories to the cycle a long time ago... Shinryu, it's calling itself now.

So many unanswered questions. Everywhere one turns to find answers, there seems to be an inexplicable dead-end. Vanishing people, missing information, and objects that don't appear unless certain (unattainable) conditions are met. Strangely and frustratingly Inconvenient, wouldn't you say?

It wouldn't really be surprising if "Shinryu" himself had created the anomalies that had hidden all the evidence. But, then again, perhaps he hadn't really needed to: The rift itself constantly fluctuated. It was a labyrinthine mess in the first place; having actual people there didn't help. It just caused the entire place to go crazy. Entire eons' worth of secrets were locked away in that place forever. No one will ever find out what had happened, what would happen, or why.

Or at least, no one who lives in the primary worlds ever will.

There's just one puzzle piece that was still here: a piece that every single one of the warriors had left behind in, or perhaps forged into the rift subconsciously. A piece that was so key to the puzzle, but could never be used by anyone. Or at least, no one knew how, and those who did could not tell of it. The warriors did not know that they had _made _something while they had traversed the malleable voids. They created something that could finally give me the key to unlocking the mysteries of the rift.

They had made memories.

The moments that they had shared whilst they journeyed through those mazes... they stuck there. Because it watched them. It watched them, and it learned from them. It saw them at their strongest, and it saw them at their weakest. It saw them when they laughed, and it saw them when they cried. It heard them speak of promises long past, and it heard them speak of their hopes for the future. It felt their fury. It felt their happiness.

In hindsight, perhaps it was the rift itself that was hiding all the clues: Hiding it's darkest secrets from prying eyes. But something in the pit of my stomach, tells me it wouldn't do that. Though I suppose I can't really know for sure, not yet; not without further investigation. Yet, still, the void has been tied to two major possible catastrophes, and I can't just rule possibility out. That's what I hope to use these memories for: to find out.

For these memories themselves hold secrets of the rift... or rather, events that transpired in the rift. But that alone could tell me so much. What did the warriors find in the gateways? Did they hide anything within them? I want answers about the rift... mainly because it's all that I know. I sigh to myself as I look down from my perch: one of the stone archways that towers above even the mountains.

From here, I can see the ruins of what once was, and in the primary world still is, the grand kingdom of Cornelia. In this world, there isn't much left of the once impressive castle; just broken walls and the remains of a few towers. Even now, it's hard to tell exactly what caused the kingdom to fall: there are no signs of burns or blast of any kind. It seems as though the kingdom had simply been left to rot. Like everyone had simply left one day... and nobody had ever come back. It had been abandoned... Forsaken.

I wondered briefly if Shinryu had anything to do with it, and I felt a spark of fury ignite within my chest. What gave it the right? The right to rob people of their memories? Of the experiences that had given them strength? It occurs to me that I myself have memories that aren't really mine either. Maybe I'm not so different from Shinryu in the end.

I shiver as I draw my cloak tighter around me: the thought is not a comforting one, and the air seems to have grown colder somehow. As I feel the texture of the gold embroidery lining the cloak, I come to a decision; it's time to get going. With a small step forward and off of the arch, I float soundlessly towards the ground. With a flutter of my cloak, I find myself standing in front of the gateway. The ruins of Cornelia are now a ways off, and I can no longer see above the mountains.

I pull up my hood as I turn to leave; letting only a single shock of green hair to be seen. This was it: the time had finally arrived. Cosmos was nowhere to be seen, for which I was grateful: I had nothing against her, but I probably wouldn't handle interference very well right now. Beneath the unwavering monolith that lie before me, the crest of red began to shine with its unearthly glow.

Suddenly,

_The Winds Die._

It's such an abrupt change that the cloth surrounding me does not even register a difference; flying from my form and flapping about as if it were still being disturbed. In direct contrast to the absence of a force of nature, and perhaps in an act of complete rebellion,

_The Seas Rage._

Such a thing should not be possible, but the ocean seemed to be screaming "I will not adhere to the laws of logic or science!" to anyone, or anything that would listen.

_The Warmth Leaves _

My Bones. A terrible coldness seized me as a result and I felt a sensation as though every breath was laced with poison. I choked on the air.

_The Earth Decays_

around me as the world goes black. Everything is silent. Not a sound can be heard in all of the vast emptiness that surrounds me.

_Light Returns._

I find myself lying on my stomach in a large field of grass. All is calm, and I am able to breathe once more. When I look up, I see that I am on a tall hill overlooking a grand castle town that stands in the distance.

Cornelia.

I climb to my feet and brush off the dirt that has gotten on me. I reflect on the castle only briefly before I begin walking towards it. I have begun my journey along the grandest of roads. A road that all of the warriors of cosmos began walking a long time ago. I must be like those warriors, and take their mistakes and experiences to heart.

I will carve out my own _**Fate**_, and I will seek true _**Freedom**_. I will carry on the_** Will to Live**_, I will _**Never Forget My Dreams, Even if They have faded**_. In doing this, I will _**Live Life to Its Fullest Extent. **_I will _**Acknowledge the Value of Others**_, even in my _**Solitude**_. I shall seek My Reason to Fight, and Won't Let Others' Control Me. No matter how long _**I Must Wander**_, I won't forget to move on from the scars of war and _**Bid Farewell to Whatever Lies in My Possibly Bloodstained Past**_. Though _**History May Repeat**_, my _**Strength Must be Used to Protect Others**_. In the end, I may even have to _**Cross Time Itself.**_

I now am a traveler that walks along the road to the

_**Final Fantasy**_.

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**Authors Note:**

**First off, a big thank you to Bloodwitch Raven for telling me that something was wrong with the story. I went straight to bed after uploading it last night, so I didn't realize. I fixed as soon as I realized.  
This is my first published work of fanfiction, and it's mainly here because I wanted to have SOMETHING on my account. I may have signed up just a little to soon, having not completed the first story I intended to upload. Then life got busy, then my file got corrupted and I couldn't recover anything. So yeah.  
This story was an entirely separate Idea of mine from the corrupted document, and I realized if I made this "Prelude," than I could write it up quick and easy and finally put something on here. But moving on from that. This story is intended to be a series of oneshots based around the warriors of dissidia as they travel through the gateways. The character shown in this chapter will not be in the limelight very often. I'm intending to use him between gateways, as I will be writing about them in chronological order according to Scenario 000. **

**As a personal concern about the story, I feel it jumps from point to point a bit too quickly throughout the first half of it. I don't really know how to fix it though, so criticism is certainly welcome.**

**I feel that that's everything so, I'm gonna sign off now. But thank you again to Bloodwitch Raven, and a big thank you to all of those who read this as well. Please leave a review, as I'm curious to know what you think. **

**Till we meet again!**


	2. Forsaken Kingdom Part 1: Destiny

**Sorry this took so long. I'll leave the majority of the notes for after the chapter; for now let's just say that I had planned this out the day after I posted the prelude, but then life happened, and then writers block happened. I should also note that, for reasons you may have already calculated based on my AN at the end of the prelude, this chapter will be marginally different from the last. I have finished editing for now, and hope it is acceptable. If you see flaws of any kind, please don't hesitate to point them out to me.  
**

**In regards to modifications to my previous version, it has mostly just been extended, with the occasional spelling correction.**

**Please Enjoy.**

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_**Memoir - Destiny**_

They were standing in a large field.

He didn't really know why. Goddess knows how the gateways actually _worked_. He found it confusing, to be perfectly honest. One minute they would be walking through the top floor of a ruined and dimly lit castle with frankly unnecessary gears strewn about as ornamentation, then the next minute they would walk through a doorway and find themselves in one of the cars of a speeding train. It didn't really make sense. Of course, observations about that could wait for another time. Right now?

They were standing in a large field.

Not that there was anything particularly wrong with that: The field left nothing to be desired in the department of scenery. A hilltop with vibrant and beautiful trees overlooked a wide expanse of vividly green grass. A large, sparkling channel of water could be seen, and a big and extravagant stone castle completed the set. To him, it seemed very much like an artistic painting come to life.

(If his world had the technology, he would have compared it to a photograph straight from a brochure. It was that scenic.)

No, nothing was wrong with the field at all. It was quite perfect; maybe even a little too perfect considering the war. But who was he to complain? He should just have been grateful that he and his companions could take the time to appreciate what was around them.

Life.

Life was around them in full bloom. It was a strange sight to see and consider during the conflict of the gods, and he found himself hoping that this locale would not be ravaged by it as so many other places already had. It then occurred to him that it might not matter: all of the areas seemed to restore themselves somehow, and it wasn't uncommon to come by the same place more than once in two separate geographical spots either.

Hmm. Gateways.

Whatever the situation with the backdrop was, the fact remained that he and his group should be taking the time out of their busy schedules to relax on the sunny hilltop. He should be taking the time to appreciate it. Come to think of it, he _was _appreciating it.

Before the 'beautiful' grass and dirt had started to rush towards his face.

At first, he didn't even realize it had happened. He was far too busy focusing on flashes of pain in his head... and strange images that came with it: A woman in a white mage's cloak, whom he felt had left much behind to go on her journey. A silent and stoic young man with a headband, whose calm wisdom remained a constant well of strength from which to draw upon. And a young boy with a green bandanna... who would close his eyes (Yellow, and pulsing with an unearthly glow) as he gave a wide and mischievous grin that the warrior found both infuriating... and endearing. It was only when he had heard a loud cry of "Cid!" and the rush of footsteps did he really look in front of his face and think:

"... I am on the ground. When did this happen?"

As he made to lift himself to his feet, he found another pair of arms was aiding him. He was lifted to a standing position as a voice reached his ears.

"Cid? Cid can you hear me? Are you all right?" The warrior glanced to his side in order to get a look at the one who supported his shoulder. A young man was the one who was looking back at him in a concerned manner. His blonde hair had been put into a ponytail, and his eyes were a deep brown. He wore a set of armor with a blue tunic, and the scabbard of a rapier was at his waist. The warrior couldn't help but give a small smile: this particular comrade of his had always be quick to help people.

"Do not worry for me Ramza, I assure you, I will be quite fine." Slowly, and somewhat reluctantly, his companion released him.

"Are you certain?" The youth looked at him cautiously, as though he expected him to fall over again at any moment. The warrior nodded in confirmation at his younger companion. However, another voice had decided to join in; a voice that did not promise a change of subject any time soon.

"You don't need healing of any sort? Than what made you fall?" Cid turned to see his other companion: a younger girl with strawberry-blonde hair and piercing red eyes. She wore a white blouse with a blue vest and a cross shaped broach. On her legs were a pair of long boots, the foot of which she was tapping against the ground impatiently as her arms were crossed over her chest.

Convincing Refia could take some doing. Especially since he wasn't too keen on the details of his sudden black out himself. Though he also felt for some odd reason that he wouldn't tell them if he did know.

_"I don't want to tell them." _He realized, somewhat shocked at himself. He couldn't really fathom what reason he could have not to not share information. What possible connection could he have to the people in his vision that would prevent him from doing so? Or was that it? Did he have some kind of personal relation to the people in that vision; a recollection? When he focused on them, he didn't feel as if he knew anything in particular about them. Yet, there was still... something; some reason he felt that he should not tell.

"I... tripped?" The warrior cursed himself silently as what he had intended to seem as a statement came out as more of a question; and Refia was obviously not falling for it.

"Mhmm..." She grunted rather doubtfully as she carefully scanned him from head to toe. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, she spoke up once more. "Are you poisoned per chance?"

_'Oh, Cosmos, here she goes.'_

"Was it an attack from one of Chaos's minions?" He could only stare blankly as she continued her questioning. "...I wouldn't put it past them, but it could just have easily been caused by one of the local flora. You didn't eat or drink anything suspicious lately, did you? You really should be more careful! I swear you bo-"

He honestly wasn't listening much beyond those first few sentences. There was no explanation in his mind as to why: normally he was very respectful to his companions. But right now he felt strangely tired and impatient. He couldn't think of any real reason to hide his vision, the worst they could do was think he was crazy. So after staring silently at Refia for a few moments as she went on to him about proper outdoor safety, he decided to put a quick end to the conversation.

"I saw some form of vision." He cut off rather strongly before abruptly turning away and walking down the hill. Refia and Ramza could only glance at each other in concern and confusion as Cid left them in the dust. His behavior was extremely out of character and he was more than a little aware of it. The fact was that right now he simply didn't care, though he would probably regret it later. For now, he just wanted to get away. He didn't know why, but he felt… upset. He supposed that meant that there was probably something wrong with him after all, and he had confirmed it to the others. He gave a resigned sigh when it occurred to him that he would have to have a discussion with Prishe about this later.

Enjoying the rare calm seemed to have gone out the window.

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After that day, no one ever saw those plains again; or at least, not for the remainder of the cycles. Here one day, gone the next. It was certainly a strange occurrence. But perhaps stranger still was the fact that the warrior's vision never came to be. No one ever saw those he had seen and they could not have come from his past, for he had not one to speak of. No one ever saw the woman in a white mage's cloak, whose beauty was befitting of a princess in an outlandish fairytale. No one saw a young man whose fist and resolve were as solid as the earth itself. And _certainly _no one had seen a young boy (Infuriating and endearing) whose sheer intelligence could be _terrifying._

At least, not for the remainder of the cycles.

But perhaps it didn't take long after the wars end for history to come to pass. Perhaps Lukahn knew of even this. The figures may not have been privy to this world at all, but were born of the future.

Perhaps their meeting with the Warrior of Light was destiny.

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**In these ANs I'll be writing information about characters, stages, and other elements that are new to the fic, or that I feel just require some explaining. The most prominent of which at the moment is:**

**Cid/Warrior of Light \- Square Enix seems adamant that we not know the name of this particular silver haired individual, but my personal head cannon is that his name is Cid. Mainly because the Dissidia games leave enough evidence for it to be a possibility at the very least. **

**Refia ****\- I was absolutely certain when I started writing this chapter that I wanted one of the characters to be one of the Onion Knights. I considered it for quite a bit, but ended up choosing Refia in order to give the party some variety.  
**

**Ramza \- I actually chose Ramza for this role before he was announce for the new dissidia. (Which tells me it has been WAY too long since I wrote something for this.) I wanted to put him in this fic really badly because he's one of my favorite characters. I'm going to have to work on the authenticity of his Speech though.  
**

**Stage: Cornelia Plains**** -I originally came up with this chapter as a whole because I saw that this stage had been announced for the reboot; that didn't make sense at first. The gateways reflect memories based on who has entered them, but the only people who _would _know of Cornelia lived on an entirely different continent. That's not even considering the fact they lived 2000 years before the events of the first game. I really don't believe that the field could stay exactly the same for 2000 years, though I could be wrong. Of course later I found out the new Dissidia was a reboot with no story to speak of. However, a phantasmal stage remained an interesting concept to use.  
**

**Well, that's the end of it. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. It'll be awhile before I get another one of these up, but I hope to write ahead so that I can get a more regular update schedule. Till next time.**


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